100 fed-up Masiphumelele residents march to highlight their grievances
LACK of housing opportunities, dirty canals and ablution facilities prompted about 100 Masiphumelele residents to march to the area’s sub-council offices to demand an urgent intervention.
Marching for 6km along Kommetjie Road to Fish Hoek sub-council offices, the residents were supported by their neighbours from Noordhoek, Kommetjie, Clovelly and Fish Hoek, along with activists from the Right2Know Campaign and Social Justice Campaign (SJC).
While the essence of the march was to protest against a lack of land, electricity, and poor refuse removal, the marchers said they were unhappy that their shacks in Masiphumelele Wetland had been continuously demolished by the City of Cape Town’s anti-land invasion unit.
Nkululeko Danile said the three times that his shack had been demolished, the city did not notify him and he only found out when he came back from work.
“My furniture was scattered everywhere and I lost valuable belongings,” he said, adding that had he been given notice, he would have been home to collect and safeguard his building materials.
Nosicelo Baliso said her two-room shack was built next to the canals and the smell coming from them was unbearable.
“When it is hot, we can’t stay indoors because flies fly inside the house. We live like pigs,” she said.
“I have sent my two young children to live with their aunt (at an RDP house in Masiphumelele) because I fear they might get sick because of the smell,” Baliso said.
Another resident, Sakhumzi Ntwalana, said he has been told that his shack would not be electrified because he stays in an area that’s below sea level, where electricity poles cannot be installed.
“This means I will live in the dark, this despite (the fact) that my neighbours have electricity. It is such a sad situation,” he said. The area’s councillor, Felicity Purchase, who received the memorandum, told the marchers she would respond to their grievances within the next 14 working days.
Purchase said there was a housing project under way in Masiphumelele to accommodate people living in the Wetlands and backyarders, but it could take years before completion.
About the anti-land invasion unit demolishing shacks, she said the city had a mandate to demolish new shacks built on the wetland.
“There are homes without electricity and because of safety issues, we cannot install electricity poles,” said Purchase.
“We cannot allow more people to squat in the wetlands, it is not safe for them and their children,” she said.
In relation to refuse removal, according to Purchase, the city did a massive clean-up project during January.
YESTERDAY, Masiphumelele residents and activists staged a peaceful protest in front of the Fish Hoek Sub Council. They were supported by neighbours from Noordhoek, Kommetjie, Clovelly and Fish Hoek, as well as Cape Town activists from the Right2Know and Social Justice Campaign.
Although bigger issues were at stake, like more land for the overcrowded community, it was recent shack demolitions in the informal settlement Wetlands, the poorest part of Masiphumelele, which sparked the protest.
A memorandum was handed over by community leaders Tshepo Moletsane, Dumsani Nhlapo und Lunga Mathambo to Ward Councillor Felicity Purchase with the request to respond within 14 days.
In addition to the protest, the groundbreaking directive by Western Cape Environment Law Enforcement director, Dr Eshaam Palmer, issued to the City of Cape Town on January 20, was mentioned: Not the poor are responsible for the situation, but city officials have violated their duties to protect the environment and to assure minimum health standards for the care of 14 000 residents, half of them children, living in Masi Wetlands.
Protection of the environment and human rights work hand in hand.
City officials have responded so far with various explanations why the situation is as bad as it is.
All sustainable plans to remedy the situation have been ignored or refused.
The most comprehensive plan so far was presented to Premier (Helen) Zille and Mayor (Patricia) de Lille in January 2014: to re-block the whole area (as done in other townships successfully).
This would allow a ratio of four families taking responsibility for one toilet/water tap (and not 70 families as at present). The still badly contaminated four canals would be restored – and access created for emergency vehicles to reduce the risk of fires and flooding.
Estimated costs at the time were R25 million, much less than the city spent the past three years for disaster relief.
Reasons given by officials for the plan not being implemented, included:
1) Masi Wetlands forms part of a nature reserve and can therefore never be used for human habitation:
Once we presented our plan in 2014 we discovered on an official city map of the area that about 85% of the Masi Wetlands do not form part of the nature reserve. This was later confirmed by SA National Parks. Another map showed the opposite, and it was this one that was finally approved by the city. Later, the city showed that you can build in the middle of a nature reserve wetlands – if you are rich enough. This was shown by the luxury estate, Lake Michelle, which was given permission to be built – and praised as an “environmental role model”. Why not also create such a “role model” for the Masi Wetlands? 2) The area is too overcrowded: We repeatedly heard officials saying if there were too many improvements, increasing numbers of people would invade the area. But the opposite is true: 15 years ago, about 3 000 families lived in the Masi Wetlands; 10 years ago, this figure had risen to 8 000. Today we have more than 14 000.
This makes the area unsafe. After darkness no police dare enter. Even disaster relief is getting more and more out of hand and after every disaster we have more newcomers pushing in.
This happens if there is no structure and no united leadership to enforce it. Plans of re-blocking areas in other townships worked well where first a united leadership was created, as a partner in negotiations and also given certain administrative powers.
If there is no structure and no united leadership, individual residents can only fight for themselves.
3) There is already too much vandalism of toilets and water taps:
We have heard that there is a plan to test a new type of ablution block for a very small number of residents. This plan was only shared with those regarded as loyal to the DA ward councillor. Since the directive was issued so far only some modest clean-up has been carried out, but nothing to change the situation sustainably. A next disaster is in waiting. Instead, a number of shacks which bordered the flood line were demolished.
Please work with a united Masi Wetlands leadership to create a better future for the Masi Wetlands – for nature and humans alike.